


Obi-Wan Kenobi Tackles the Jedi Code

by SilverTonguedSlytherin1



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Essays, Fae is Madam Not Appearing in This Fic but It Is Her Work Obi-Wan is Interpreting, Gen, In-Universe Meta, Interpreting the Jedi Code, Jedi Code (Star Wars), Jedi Culture & Tradition (Star Wars), Jedi History (Star Wars), Jedi Reform (Star Wars), Jedi Training (Star Wars), Kinda, Ruusaan Reformation, Technically an AU but Doesn't Expressly Violate Canon/Legends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:42:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29049360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverTonguedSlytherin1/pseuds/SilverTonguedSlytherin1
Summary: Junior Learner Kenobi is nearly ready to become a Senior Learner, but he has a few requirements left to meet. After finding a copy of "The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force," he decides to tackle a few misrepresentations of the Code and Order as his final project.
Comments: 15
Kudos: 61





	Obi-Wan Kenobi Tackles the Jedi Code

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheDFO](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDFO/gifts).



> This is for TheDFO whose comments on another work had me hunting down to see if the Jedi Code is supposed to be a meditation mantra or a set of precepts. 
> 
> This fic is heavily based off of the book "The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force" by Daniel Wallace. In fact, everything not in bold type is quoted verbatim from this book. In no way, shape or form am I claiming ownership of it (Also, I think this book is technically Legends, but it's still for sale at Barnes and Noble, so I don't know what it really is).

**A REBUTTAL OF GRAND MASTER FAE COVEN'S INTERPRETATION OF THE JEDI CODE**   
**BY JUNIOR LEARNER OBI-WAN KENOBI**

  
**Grand Master Fae Coven, of the Jedi Temple of Coruscant, in the third edition of _The Jedi Path_ attempts to offer an official interpretation of the Jedi Code. However, her views are strictly Reformist and do not reflect the truth of the Jedi Code - and as such are false representations of the Jedi Order itself. **

  
For forty years, the Jedi Code has been my focus, as it will become yours. It is the philosophy upon which stands the Jedi Order. It is a pledge of protection to the citizens and inhabitants of the Republic. It is an encapsulation of our relationship with the Force. As a Jedi, you must be faithful to the spirit of the Code. Every day you must ask yourself: Do I understand it?

  
**Within this first paragraph, Grand Master Coven has revealed her both her bias and her inherent misunderstanding. "It is a pledge of protection to the citizens and inhabitants of the Republic," she writes. This statement is inherently false. The Jedi Order existed before the founding of the Republic, and if the Force wills it, it will stand long after the Republic's fall. The Jedi are not meant to protect and serve the Republic. We are meant to protect all citizens of the Galaxy and to serve the Force.**

  
In its classical form, as transcribed by Homonix Rectonia during the Early Manderon Period, the Code consists of five core precepts:

  
**Grand Master Coven is misleading with this statement. The phrase "classical form" implies this Code is the original, which is false. The Code recorded by Rectonia is based upon Master Odan-Urr's meditations upon it. The original Code also had five core precepts and read:**

  
_**Emotion, yet peace.** _  
_**Ignorance, yet knowledge.** _  
_**Passion, yet serenity.** _  
_**Chaos, yet harmony.** _  
_**Death, yet the Force** _

**The fact that at no point does Grand Master Coven mention the original Code and proceeds only to discuss the meditations of another Master is reason enough to strip her of any authority on the Jedi Code.**

  
_There is no emotion, there is peace._ This principle guides all meditations and interactions with all others. It reaffirms the Jedi ideal to act without recklessness, and to view the actions of others through the pure lens of the Unifying Force.

  
**Aside from the use of the meditations of Master Odan-Urr as the source, little is wrong with this interpretation. However, it should be noted that many Orthodox Masters feel Master Odan-Urr's meditations can cause apathy and callousness in interactions.**  
_**Emotion, yet peace.** _  
**Feel and accept all emotions as deeply or as shallowly as they occur. Do not cast them aside, but do not let the rule you.**  
**In example, if the building you are in catches on fire, fear is a natural feeling. However, do not allow that fear to overrule your sense of checking to see if a door is hot before opening it.**

  
_There is no ignorance, there is knowledge._ Those who don't understand this basic precept are quick to fear - and fear is the path to the dark side. The Archives represent the greatest collection of knowledge in the galaxy.

  
**This interpretation is inherently wrong, and is incomplete anyway. If anything, more Jedi have Fallen due to an obsessive search for knowledge than those who have due to ignorance.**  
**What does it matter if the Archives are the largest collection of knowledge in the galaxy? It is an unfinished thought at best and a random addition at worst.**  
_**Ignorance, yet knowledge.** _  
**Accept and acknowledge what you do not know, but do not allow that lack of knowledge to discount what you do know.**  
**In example, you may not know how to heal a wound with the Force, but that does not lessen your ability to clean and dress it.**

  
_There is no passion, there is serenity._ A subtle extrapolation of the first precept, this reminder to act dispassionately in every deliberation extends to personal obsessions and is a reminder not to elevate the self above the mission.

  
**Here we see Grand Master Coven's own ignorance once again in play. The Jedi Order has existed for over 10,000 years. During that time, there have naturally been shifts in, amongst other things, linguistics. At the time of the creation of the original Code, the word passion still had the now obsolete definition of suffering. This change in definition clearly nullifies Grand Master Coven's interpretation.**  
_**Passion, yet serenity.** _  
**The sad fact of the galaxy is that all beings suffer, some more than others, true, but all beings suffer. A Jedi accepts that suffering but is not molded by it.**  
**In example, many beings have been enslaved, for varying amounts of time. A being who has let their suffering warp themselves may seek to enslave others, including their former owner, if freed. A being who has not been warped by their suffering, however, will use their freedom to start a new life - and may in fact work towards freeing others.**

  
_There is no chaos, there is harmony._ Those who cannot see the threads uniting all life view existence as random and without purpose. The Jedi perceive the structure and will of the many galaxies. 

  
**The interpretation of this line is mostly sound, despite the fact that it is based upon Master Odan-Urr's meditations rather than the original Code. However, the second line of the interpretation, "The Jedi perceive the structure and will of the many galaxies," seems a bit arrogant. We are not all-knowing. We perceive little, if any, more than any other sentient.**  
_**Chaos, yet harmony.**_  
**The Force wills all, even through mundane actions and events.**  
**In example, you might lament your ship crashing onto a planet. However, that crash and your extended stay might be necessary for you to find your new Padawan.**

  
_There is no death, there is the Force._ All things die, but the Force lives on. As beings who exist as shades of the Force, the end of our existence in this form is not to be overly mourned. We are part of an energy larger than ourselves, and we play roles in a cosmic fabric that outstrip our incarnate understanding. 

  
**The callousness of this interpretation is the true issue, bringing us back to the inherent lack of empathy in those who follow Master Odan-Urr's meditations of the first precept.**  
_**Death, yet the Force.** _  
**Every being, sentient and nonsentient, dies. It is natural to mourn that loss, both as the one who will pass and as the one will be left. We take comfort, however, in knowing we all rejoin the Force.**  
**No example is needed here.**

  
The Upper Manderon and Draggulch transcriptions add more - and controversial - tenets, but the Jedi need only to remember the core teachings to live their lives as gifted, yet humble, defenders of justice.

  
**Yes, the Upper Manderon and Draggulch transcriptions are controversial, but why mention them if they will not be discussed. Also, by mentioning these transcriptions, even though they are quickly cast aside, Grand Master Coven gives them greater value than the original Code, which she never mentions. How can she say, "the Jedi need only to remember the core teachings" when she herself ignores them? How can she say, "the Jedi need only to remember the core teachings" when she herself erases their existence?**

**Author's Note:**

> Just to reiterate, everything not in bold was quoted from "The Jedi Path" book, while the type in bold are my own/Obi-Wan's additions.  
> Please tell me if I need to add more tags because this one might be a little controversial.
> 
> For reference, I do imagine this takes place in my Mandalorian Jedi 'verse, but since I didn't Mandalore or anything related to it, I decided to leave it off. If it becomes relevant to that 'verse, I'll be sure to add the necessary tags.


End file.
